Marquise Goodwin happy to return to 49ers, declines to comment on personal issue

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin spoke to reporters on Friday afternoon. It was the first time he has done so since returning to the team.

Goodwin has missed each of the 49ers' past two games after being excused from the team. Out of respect for his family, he didn't want to comment on the personal matter which kept him away.

"If they give me the OK, then I'd be willing to talk about it," Goodwin told reporters in the 49ers locker room. "Until then, I'll just kind of keep it between us."

Goodwin traveled with his teammates to Florida for the 49ers' Week 12 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but returned to the Bay Area before the game. He returned to the team on Monday and took part in each practice this week as the 49ers prepare for Sunday's matchup against the Denver Broncos.

"It's been awesome (being back)," Goodwin said. "I feel the love from my team. I had the support from them from the beginning. It was from afar because I wasn't at the facility, but just being around them and preparing for this week has been great for my moral, personally. Hopefully, it adds a different element on game day for the whole team."

Goodwin remains the 49ers' leading wide receiver with 17 receptions for 339 yards and four touchdowns despite missing the past two games. He ranks second on the team to tight end George Kittle, who has 62 catches for 893 yards with three touchdowns.

Goodwin watched the last two games and was asked about the emergence of rookie Dante Pettis. Unfortunately, both games were losses for San Francisco.

"I'm proud of the production he had, but we like to win at the end of the day," Goodwin said. "Individual performances really don't matter. It's more about that W."

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Friday that Goodwin has improved throughout the week and expects the receiver to be mentally ready to face the Broncos.

"I think it was good for 'Quise just to be back in the building all week," Shanahan said. "We all know that he's dealing with some things. Hopefully, for him, [being here] gave him a chance to just get away from some of that stuff, to come in, just be around his teammates, and just play football to get his mind off some things."